Chapter 8: Final Training
Altio placed a hand on his pounding chest.
Up until now, only two trainees had completed his training. However, even those two had not passed this particular training.
But why did he feel that Jeong Hoon in front of him might actually pass this final training?
‘Just one hit. Just one effective hit.’
If he succeeded, the title would be his.
[Epic Quest: Altio Instructor's Final Training]
Restriction: Unemployed Martial Artist
Reward: [Title] Recognized by the Instructor
Description: Win a sparring match against Instructor Altio.
Jeong Hoon’s eyes sparkled as he confirmed the reward. Before his regression, he had succeeded in Altio's quest. Although he hadn’t been able to complete the excessive number of training sessions, he had pushed his body to the limit and gained Altio’s recognition. However, he had failed the final training in less than 30 seconds, resulting in quest failure.
‘This time, I’ll definitely succeed.’
Jeong Hoon accepted the quest.
“Good choice,” Altio said, showing a wide grin as he stood in front of Jeong Hoon.
‘I’m glad I learned the Myungwang Fist Technique.’
His stamina was already at its limit. Just one effective hit from Altio could make him collapse immediately. However, Jeong Hoon couldn’t imagine losing.
===
[NPC Information]
Nickname: Altio
Level: 30
Class: Martial Artist
===
Altio’s level was 30. Previously, Jeong Hoon had instantly dealt with a level 31 lower warrior, but Altio in front of him was not an easy opponent. Despite having a similar level to a lower warrior, Altio had much more experience as an instructor training trainees.
“Shall we begin?”
In reality, this quest had a 0% success rate. It wasn’t designed to be cleared in the first place.
“Just a moment.”
Jeong Hoon asked for permission and took out milk from his inventory, drinking it.
[Small amount of health is restored.]
[Repeated consumption detected. Health recovery is no longer possible.]
[If you want to recover health, consume again after 10 minutes.]
The quest didn’t state that he had to win against Altio with depleted health. So, recovering his health shouldn’t be a problem. Of course, only a small amount was recovered, and continuous recovery was impossible. Jeong Hoon immediately used his divine power. He had been using it intermittently as time allowed, and it was about time he acquired the skill.
[Exclusive skill for Martial Artists, ‘Strong Will’ is activated.]
[Skill ‘Lesser Healing (Normal)’ acquired.]
Yes! He acquired a healing skill at just the right time.
[Lesser Healing]
Type: Active
Level: 1
Grade: Normal
Consumes 1 mana to recover +2 health.
Using it repeatedly on the same target reduces health recovery to less than half, and mana consumption doubles.
Jeong Hoon used it on himself to recover his health. As his health recovered, the trembling of his muscles subsided.
“What the?!”
Altio’s eyes widened. Jeong Hoon, who had been at the brink of collapse, had somehow restored his health.
“I’m ready. Let’s start.”
Jeong Hoon, with a relatively lower level, took the initiative. Myungwang Fist Technique, First Star. His fist extended sharply.
“!”
Altio hurriedly stepped back, narrowly avoiding his fist.
Thud!
No, it was a misconception that he had avoided it. The Myungwang Fist Technique’s strength lies not in single strikes but in its continuous flow. Jeong Hoon’s fist connected smoothly and struck Altio’s side accurately.
“Ugh!”
What kind of power is this...!
Altio felt his mind go blank for a moment. The force was overwhelming, making normal thinking impossible.
Thud!
Jeong Hoon’s fist hit Altio’s face this time.
“Ack!”
With a heavy impact sound, blood splattered in the air. What on earth! Altio couldn’t believe the reality unfolding before him. All the trainees who had visited this hall so far had been useless. Even if someone showed potential, they couldn’t match Altio.
‘Why?’
In terms of level and experience, he should be several steps ahead. He couldn’t counter that damned fist technique.
“Grr!”
Altio acknowledged Jeong Hoon’s strength but couldn’t afford to lose so helplessly. Altio regained his composure and threw a punch.
Whoosh-
The sharp sound of wind cut through the air as his robe’s sleeve fluttered. However, the punch didn’t hit Jeong Hoon. It wasn’t over yet. Altio moved closer and tried a knee kick. But even that knee kick was narrowly evaded by Jeong Hoon’s side step.
Thud!
Jeong Hoon’s fist struck Altio’s side once more, hitting the same spot as before.
“Ugh!”
Altio fell to one knee with a groan.
“I think this is enough.”
Jeong Hoon lowered his fist.
“...Indeed.”
Altio admitted his defeat willingly. Continuing would only make him look worse. Although Jeong Hoon’s level was lower, his martial arts skills were several steps ahead.
“Grab on.”
Jeong Hoon extended his hand.
“Thank you.”
Altio grasped his hand and stood up. At the same time, the question mark above his head turned into an exclamation mark. The quest was complete.
***
Instructors and users who witnessed the sparring match were dumbfounded. The users forgot their quests and watched the match between Jeong Hoon and Altio in a daze.
“Wow, he knocked out the instructor?”
“Isn’t he crazy? He’s only level 11, right? The instructor is level 30. How did he win?”
“He didn’t just win. He completely overwhelmed him.”
To them, it was clear that Jeong Hoon had won the match. Jeong Hoon’s attacks all landed perfectly, while Altio’s attacks missed entirely.
“How is it possible with a 19-level difference?”
“Isn’t he hiding his level? They say even a small level difference is noticeable.”
In New World, levels are absolute. Raising your level increases your stats, and the difference in stats is very significant. That’s why all New World users are obsessed with leveling up. Entering the Martial Arts Hall is partly to gain skills, but also to train, gain experience, and level up, ultimately achieving their first job change.
“I recorded this. I’m going to upload it to Welcome immediately.”
Welcome is a community established by New World users.
“I recorded it too! I’m curious how he managed to win with such a level difference.”
Players all have a system called Smart Lens, allowing them to record whenever they want. Therefore, Welcome’s guides include not only explanations but also videos, making it easy to follow.
“Everyone, please focus!”
“We will start the training!”
The instructors quickly took control. Although it wasn’t their defeat, a fellow instructor’s loss was a blow to their pride. They had to prevent users from focusing on Altio’s defeat.
‘Altio lost so helplessly...’
‘I can’t believe it.’
‘Altio is the strongest among us, how...’
‘Is he a monster? Training to the point of not being able to stand and then defeating Altio?’
They were equally confused.
***
Hiss—
The capsule door opened as Kang Hajin stepped out.
“You seem to be having a lot of fun.”
The capsule next to him hadn’t opened for hours. It was Jeong Hoon, who was using the capsule. Since entering the capsule room, Jeong Hoon had been investing 20 hours a day in the capsule, only taking 4 hours off. Although it was virtual reality, it couldn’t resolve physical fatigue. So, proper rest in real life was necessary, but Jeong Hoon was so busy that he practically lived in the capsule.
“Should I just drag him out?”
[Whisper/zlKangHajin12 -> Hoon: Hey, let’s go home. Let’s grab some stir-fried pork together.]
[Whisper/Hoon -> zlKangHajin12: Sorry, I’m busy. Let’s eat together later.]
Given the recent whisper, forcibly calling him out seemed pointless. Hajin tidied up his capsule and went outside.
The capsule room owner, Lee Hyunwoo, was smoking a cigarette outside.
“Oh, Hajin. Why did you finish so early today?”
Seeing Hajin, Lee Hyunwoo started a conversation.
“We failed the raid. I’m feeling down, so I’m just going to leave early today.”
“Is that so? What about your friend?”
“He’s still working hard.”
Hajin pointed to the capsule room with a nod.
“If he’s that dedicated, he might need his own capsule.”
Capsule rooms charge 5,000 won per hour. Jeong Hoon was spending nearly 100,000 won a day just on capsule usage. Even if he broke his savings, he couldn’t last two months at this rate. There’s a reason people push themselves to buy their own capsules. It’s much more cost-effective in the long run.
“Impossible. Capsules are expensive.”
But that’s a story for those with money. The cheapest models are 20 million won. High-end capsules are close to 90 million won. People with extra money might buy capsules, but neither Hajin nor Jeong Hoon, both in their early twenties, had that kind of money.
“Is that so? Hmm... Then how about trying this?”
Lee Hyunwoo handed him a flyer.
“What’s this?”
“You know Genesis Corporation, right?”
If ‘Earth’ is the company that developed New World, then Genesis is the company that specializes in making capsules.
As a result, the stock price of Genesis has followed the trend of Earth’s stock price.
“Genesis has launched an event for novice users this time.”
“Really? First place gets a capsule worth 30 million won? Wow…”
Basic capsules are priced at 20 million won, and the higher-grade capsules are sold for around 30 million won. Such a capsule was offered as a prize.
“Right? So, I thought it might be worth participating.”
“Hmm… But winning first place seems impossible.”
The qualification for participation is being a novice user under level 50. Even if Jeong Hoon spends 20 hours a day, reaching level 30 would be challenging. If users from levels 40 to 50 join in large numbers, winning first place would be impossible.
“Just try asking about it. They say they provide items necessary for novice users just for participating.”
Since they provide items needed for New World just by participating, there’s no harm in joining.
“Indeed… They give items that are quite useful for adapting in the beginning.”
While he would love to help with leveling up directly, if a user with a significant level difference assists, it’s considered abnormal play in New World and subject to sanctions.
Therefore, Jeong Hoon needs to reach at least level 100 before he can help.
Until then, Jeong Hoon must level up on his own. The items offered by Genesis in this context would be helpful.
Hajin went into the capsule room to inform Jeong Hoon.
[TL: I was a little confused as to why Hajin went to inform Jeong but turns out it was Hajin who came out first. Re-read it if you think its confusing.]
***
[You have completed the Epic Quest.]
[You have obtained the title: ‘Recognized by the Instructor’.]
[Achievement unlocked! You are the first to complete the Epic Quest! You receive 5,000 achievement points.]
[Achievement points: 15,000 achieved!]
[Achievement Shop is now open.]
Done.
Not only did he gather the necessary materials, but he also opened the shop by accumulating 15,000 achievement points through completing the Epic Quest first.
The first Epic Quest. This achievement is unlocked once when you are the first to complete each type of Epic Quest.
In other words, Jeong Hoon was the first to complete the sparring victory quest with Instructor Altio.
Who would have thought the shop would open even before the first job change?
‘A good start.’
Moreover, he received the highest reward available in the Martial Arts Hall: Honorary Trainee of the Martial Arts Hall.
[Recognized by the Instructor]
Type: Unique Title
Grade: Rare
Increases the effectiveness of passive skills related to Martial Arts by 3%
Increases the effectiveness of active skills related to Martial Arts by 3%
Although it’s a C-rank title, it can only be obtained by being the first to win against Altio. The 3% increase may seem small, but it can be stacked and is crucial for later use as a material for other titles.
‘I initially aimed to challenge this for the materials.’
Aside from the completed novice’s token, there were many items he couldn’t obtain because he didn’t meet the conditions. Already, he had acquired two things he couldn’t get before the regression. The rewards were very satisfactory.
Ding-!
[Whisper/zlKangHajin12 -> Hoon: Hey, what are you doing?]
A whisper came from Hajin. Why is he whispering when he said he was going home?
[T/L: Kinda like DMing or PMing]
[Whisper/Hoon -> zlKangHajin12: I’m doing a quest at the Martial Arts Hall.]
[Whisper/zlKangHajin12 -> Hoon: I have great news for you.]
[Whisper/Hoon -> zlKangHajin12: Great news?]
[Whisper/zlKangHajin12 -> Hoon: There’s an event for novice users where they can win a capsule!]
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